Team USA's 78-game international win streak snapped with Australia loss

Team USA's 78-game international win streak snapped with Australia loss

In stunning fashion, the United States Men's National Basketball Team had their 78-game international winning streak snapped on Friday with a 98-94 loss to Australia. The loss was Team USA's first defeat in a major international tournament or exhibition since the 2006 world championship semifinals.

With the 2019 FIBA World Cup a week away, this depleted Team USA is far from winning gold.

Kings forward Harrison Barnes is a veteran for Team USA and scored 20 points in the loss. He was Team USA's second-leading scorer behind Celtics point guard Kemba Walker, who dropped 22. Barnes also led Team USA with six rebounds and made three of his five 3-point attempts.

Team USA, led by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Warriors coach Steve Kerr, had no answer for Australia's pesky point guard Patty Mills. The longtime Spurs guard, who Popovich is well acquainted with, scored a game-high 30 points and drained four shots from beyond the arc.

But the Warriors star also had a direct message for President Donald Trump.

"Secondly, shame on our current administration for not welcoming our Bahamian neighbors in their greatest time of need. I’ve been so lucky to visit my family in Nassau since childhood, and in those times I’ve seen countless Americans use the Bahamian islands as their playground for letting loose and vacationing.

"And now we turn our back on the people who welcomed us with open arms, when they’ve lost everything !? There’s no excuse for this... and if you have one your a real piece of 💩"

In the wake of the hurricane, Bahamians were seeking temporary protected status in the US until it was safe to return to the island. But earlier this week, the Trump administration denied the request.

Four Warriors listed among Sports Illustrated Top 100 NBA players for 2020

Four Warriors listed among Sports Illustrated Top 100 NBA players for 2020

It seems nothing fires sports fans up more on social media than player rankings, especially when it comes to the NBA.

Sports Illustrated recently took a stab at predicting the top 100 players for 2020 with the upcoming NBA season just over a month away.

There are four Warriors among the field, but where they ended up just might surprise you.

Five-time All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson checks in at No. 58, which would be absolutely laughable if not for the ACL tear he suffered in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals.

With a return at best coming in March, Thompson will not be much of a factor for Golden State in the regular season, so any attempt to rank him is clouded until we see how the recovery process plays out.

The most curious selection comes next, as D’Angelo Russell sits at No. 44 on the list.

Now I may not be an expert, but if a player is named to an All-Star team in the NBA, he is likely at least among the top 30 players in the league, as each roster has 13 players selected.

In 81 games with the Brooklyn Nets last season, Russell ranked second in the league as he assisted on 41.3 percent of his team's points while in the game. Now imagine his supporting cast including Steph Curry and Draymond Green instead of Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris.

Russell is also listed behind players like Kevin Love, Steven Adams, and De’Aaron Fox, all of whom weren’t even in the same conversation to be an All-Star in 2018-19. Fox could make a major jump in his third NBA season, but the other two are not exactly in their prime. Russell’s placement here is questionable at best.

The other two Warriors listed are no surprise, as Draymond Green finds himself at No. 17, while Steph Curry is ranked the No. 4 overall player for 2019-20, sandwiched between James Harden and LeBron James.

All the predictions and opinions can finally be pushed to the side when the NBA regular season gets underway on Oct. 22.